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Finally tried Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats
- Thread starter Gyver
- Start date
Thanks! I did this. They said to get the same gauge as stock, 45-100.
Anyone able/care to provide a comparison between tone of Cobalt Flats and TI Jazz Flats?
I’ve used Cobalt Flats for some time on my Jazz basses and they are pretty much a go to for me. I have one Jazz left with Sunbeams (it sounds great with Sunbeams) and have been considering TI Jazz Flats for that bass. Wondering how it will sound with them vs. Cobalt flats?
Thx.
I’ve used Cobalt Flats for some time on my Jazz basses and they are pretty much a go to for me. I have one Jazz left with Sunbeams (it sounds great with Sunbeams) and have been considering TI Jazz Flats for that bass. Wondering how it will sound with them vs. Cobalt flats?
Thx.
@ShawnG, I think Cobalt Flats could be mistaken for rounds, but I don't think I would do that with TIJFs.
[My notes say that Cobalt Flats are "indistinguishable from Hi Beams". Maybe an exaggeration but I'm certain I wouldn't say that about TIJFs.]
[My notes say that Cobalt Flats are "indistinguishable from Hi Beams". Maybe an exaggeration but I'm certain I wouldn't say that about TIJFs.]
Cobalt flat 2814 sound good to me on my bacchus J, but Ti flat are not.
Ti flat sound ok with J neck or J bridge pickup alone, but just weird tonal when both pickup blend. Same experience on my previous ibanez SR and Cort Artisan Bass.
Ti flat can sound nice on my previous Sub Ray4 , tame the zing and make entire tone rounder , BUT ! Cobalt flat just make this bass sound more shine !!!
I put them on a bass I intended to sell--I'm a round-wound child of the nuclear a-bomb--but dang if they don't sound and feel amazing, so much so I'm keeping the bass I put them on.
Cobalt flat 2814 in my passive converted Charvel Pro Mod PJ . Open up entire tone from stock onboard preamp along with better dynamic.
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So those strings either saved you a bunch of money or they cost you a bunch of money
Yes! And yes!So those strings either saved you a bunch of money or they cost you a bunch of money
Yes, I haven't tried the eb stainless specifically but they're probably similar in feel and sound to daddario chromes or labella flats. The cobalts sound closer to rounds
Sound notable different .
Open , Crisp , Airly and Sing on comfort tension Cobalt flat 2814 ( tonal able get lasting if well maintained )
Dry , Narrow , less sustain on higher tension Group Flat III ( tonal will get slightly mute and string become less vabrate after couple months ,then she stay with that voice )
If you own Stringray, both flatwound sound and playing feel are clearly night and day !
I have a set of 2810 on my previous Ray5, she tame down the aggressive ceramic pickup sound well.
And another 2 set Group III on my previous Indo Squier CV70P and current day Charvel Pro Mod PJ ( before settle with Cobalt flat 2814 ). Sound pretty dry and boring on both P and PJ bass.
All my bass strung with Cobalt flat except a P bass with Ti flat.
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I am in week 1 of trying the Cobalt Flatwound strings for the first time. . . 2 years since the last post before now. I'm late to the party!
After using the roundwound Cobalts for 6 months, I decided to try them on some other basses. I really appreciate how they have stayed flexible over LONG time frame, and a lot of notes. That has proven true on multiple basses and various string gauges, BTW. So the cobalts are on my short list of preferred strings.
Then a friend texted me a link to the Pino set a couple months ago. I noticed the Cobalt Flats at the same site (MF). I ordered both the Pino Smoothies and the Cobalt Flats, in light gauges. The Pinos are flats. These Cobalt Flats are WOW.
I have used many other flats to date. I have often wished for a flexible, bright flatwound playing experience. After one week, I'm not expecting them to stay this bright and flexible; but if they stay like this, I could see me using these on 95% of my work. They're flexible, bright enough and rich enough to do a wide variety of work. Currently I have them strung with a 95 gauge Cobalt Roundwound E, which makes the set even more versatile, IMO. If they hold for months, I'll be buying more of these!
After using the roundwound Cobalts for 6 months, I decided to try them on some other basses. I really appreciate how they have stayed flexible over LONG time frame, and a lot of notes. That has proven true on multiple basses and various string gauges, BTW. So the cobalts are on my short list of preferred strings.
Then a friend texted me a link to the Pino set a couple months ago. I noticed the Cobalt Flats at the same site (MF). I ordered both the Pino Smoothies and the Cobalt Flats, in light gauges. The Pinos are flats. These Cobalt Flats are WOW.
I have used many other flats to date. I have often wished for a flexible, bright flatwound playing experience. After one week, I'm not expecting them to stay this bright and flexible; but if they stay like this, I could see me using these on 95% of my work. They're flexible, bright enough and rich enough to do a wide variety of work. Currently I have them strung with a 95 gauge Cobalt Roundwound E, which makes the set even more versatile, IMO. If they hold for months, I'll be buying more of these!
I just retrieved and installed a set of Cobalt Flats which I pulled ~ 2 years ago. There are a couple of blems but nothing more than what I recall. OTOH, I have spare G and D’s (45 / 65) kept in the same drawer which are markedly rusted. Go figure.
For those who are wondering about flexibility of these strings:
Here's a pic to give an visual on the flex of the cobalt flat vs actual flats. Pictured below are .095 E strings. They are both pulled to the max they'll allow. You can see the cobalt (inner loop) is much more flexible than the EB Pino flatwound (outer).
The Pino flats at this gauge are consistent in flexibility with labella flexible flats, or TI flats. That is to say they're relatively flexible in the world of flats. And you can see the Cobalt Slinky Flats are significantly more flexible than the traditional flatwound in this test. You can also see the exterior wraps, one is smooth (pino), while the cobalt has gaps more like a quarter round or some such.
For the record, These are both excellent strings, in my opinion. They're very different. The slinky cobalt are unique, in my experience.
Here's a pic to give an visual on the flex of the cobalt flat vs actual flats. Pictured below are .095 E strings. They are both pulled to the max they'll allow. You can see the cobalt (inner loop) is much more flexible than the EB Pino flatwound (outer).
The Pino flats at this gauge are consistent in flexibility with labella flexible flats, or TI flats. That is to say they're relatively flexible in the world of flats. And you can see the Cobalt Slinky Flats are significantly more flexible than the traditional flatwound in this test. You can also see the exterior wraps, one is smooth (pino), while the cobalt has gaps more like a quarter round or some such.
For the record, These are both excellent strings, in my opinion. They're very different. The slinky cobalt are unique, in my experience.
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